Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-09-17
CEYLON SONG BIRDS.
Some of the Folk Lore Gathered from the
Natives of That Country.


Natives of That Country.
A correspondent of the Ceylon Observer
notes some points in the folk lore of the
birds of Ceylon, obtained largely in CONVEX
sation with natives. The devil bird stands
tdcite priacepS for his evil reputation; its cry
heard in the neighborhood of villages is
sure harbinger of death, and the supersti-
tious natives are thrown into great conster-
nation by its demoniac screech. The legend
about the bird is as follows: A jealous and
morose husband doubling the fidelity of his
wife killed her infant son during her absence
and had it cooked, and on her return set it
before her. She unwittingly partook of it.
but soon discovered that it was the body of
her child by finger which she found in the
dish. In frenzy she fled to the forest,
and was transformed into a devil bird,
whose appalling screams represent the
agonized cries of the bereaved mother when
she left her husbands house. The hooting
of owls in the neighborhood of houses is be-
ieved to bring misfortune on the inmates.
The magpie robin, though one of the finest
of the song birds of Ceylon, is similarly TIA
booed; it has a harsh, grating screech to-
ward evening, which is considered ominous
The quack of the pond heron flying over
house is sign of the death of one of the in
mates, or of death in the neighborhood. If
the green pigeon should happen to fly
through house, as it frequently does on &C
count of its rapid and headlong flight, a ca
lamity is impending over that house. SINH
larly with the crow. But sparrows are be-
heyed to bring luck and are encouraged to
build in the neighborhood of houses, and
are daily fed. The fiy-catcher bird of Para
disc is called cotton thief" because in an
Gent times it was freebooter and plundered
the cloth merchants. AS a penalty for its
sins it was transformed into a bird and
doomed to carry white cotton attached to its
tail. The red waffle lapwing, the alarm bird
of sportsmen, has the Following legend con
nected with it: 1t is said to represent
woman who committed suicide on finding
herself robbed of all her money, amounting
to thirty silver pieces, by her son-in-law
The cry of the bird is likened to her lament
"Give the silver, give the silver, my thirty
pieces of silver" Its call is heard at all
hours, and the stiffness of night is broken
with startling abruptness by its shrill cry
Another story about it is that when lying in
its nest in paddy field, or a dry spot in
marsh, it lies on its back with its legs in the
air, being in continual fear that the heavens
current about the blue-black swallow-tailed
fiy-catcher and its mortal enemy, the crow,
is that the former, like Prometheus of old
brought down fire from Heaven for the bene-
fit of man. The crow, jealous of the honor
dipped its wings in water and shook the
uiippulSS over tHe udlut, QueICnlnS II.
Since that time there has been
deadly enmity between the birds. The
Indian ground thrush (Iitta coronata) is said
to have once possessed the peacock's plumes
but one day when bathing the peacock stole
its dress; ever since the Pitta has gone about
the jungle crying out for its lost garments
According to another legend, the bird was
formerly prince who was deeply in love
with beautiful princess. His father sent
him to travel for some years. and on his re-
turn the princess was dead. He still wan
ders disconsolately about calling her name
1t is also said that the peacock, being bird
of sober plumage, borrowed the brilliant
coat of the Pita to attend wedding, and
did not return it. The disconsolate Pitta
wanders through the jungle calling on the
peacock to restore its dress-hence the cry,
ayittana, ayittam (my dress, my dress). The
cry of the hornbill is inauspicious and sure
sign of drouth. The bird is doomed to
suffer intolerable thirst; not being able to
drink from any other stream or rill, it has
the power only to catch the rain-drops in its
bill to quench its thirst and keeps contin-
ually CRYING for rain